Terri Schiavo's very public death by starvation has sparked heated debates
that will likely resonate with political overtones for some time to come.
And although much ink has already been devoted to these issues, I am prompted
to enter the arena with some thoughts based upon personal experience.

Technological advances in medicine have now made possible that which
was formerly impossible. Only a few years ago a stroke that rendered a
person incapable of swallowing was effectively a death sentence. If they
could not eat or drink, it made no difference if they were otherwise alert
and functional. The only medical help that could be rendered was to give
intravenous fluids and make them as comfortable as possible while waiting
to see if there might be a reversal of the effects of the stroke. And with
very few exceptions the patient died, but it simplified things for family
and friends because the outcome was strictly in God's hands.

However, feeding and hydration of brain damaged individuals today is
a relatively simple procedure. For long-term care a special tube is surgically
inserted through the wall of the abdomen into the stomach itself and part
of the tube--an inflatable bulb (a type of catheter)--is expanded by injecting
sterile water to anchor the tube in place. Then a high-protein liquid formula
is either introduced by a bulb syringe in meal-size amounts or incrementally
around the clock by an electonically controlled feeding pump. This formula
satisfies all nutritional/hydration requirements and patients can live
for many years being fed in this manner.

I know from firsthand experience the ethical and moral problems this
relative ease of treatment poses. For years my mother made her wishes known
about not wanting to prolong her life if such measures should ever become
necessary. And she had a living will drawn up to try to ensure those wishes
were carried out. But since I am an only child and my dad preceded her
in death, it eventually fell my lot to execute her wishes after she suffered
a massive stroke, was rendered semi-comatose and could not swallow. So
my first step was to ask the attending physician about what was usually
done in such cases and how I should proceed. His answer stopped me in my
tracks, because as it turned out, I only thought I was prepared to comply
with my duty to "pull the plug." His demeanor was serious as he told me
that death by starvation is very painful--something I did not know and
had not considered. Well, to say the least, assuming that awesome responsibility
put me between the proverbial rock and a hard place! But it only took me
a few minutes to collect my thoughts and tell them to put in the feeding
tube. Wishes or no wishes, I was not about to cooperate in helping my mother
to commit what amounted to slow and painful suicide!

Now if the choice had been to put her on a ventilator long term, I
would have complied with her request and refused. That is an artificial
means to prolong life by forcing the patient to breathe and is totally
unnatural. Plus the possibility exists that after removal they will continue
to breathe on their own. Then regardless of the outcome, we must view their
survival or death as being God's will. Whereas by contrast, if it were
possible without strangling them, who would hesitate to pour food and drink
down the throat of someone to keep them alive? That is essentially all
that is done by using a feeding tube and is quite minimal as far as aiding
a natural process is concerned.

Most rational adults (myself included) would rather die than be a burden
on their family and there is nothing new or strange about that desire.
However, medical techniques such as the feeding tube now make the odious
prospect of becoming a burden statistically probable if we live long enough.
And such ethically and morally difficult decisions are only going to become
more and more common. And because of that fact there are some important
points that need to be stressed. First of all, when anyone makes a living
will and stipulates they do not want to be kept alive by a feeding tube,
ventilator, etc., they are expressing a selfish desire. And it appears
very few who do so stop long enough to consider the potential impact this
will have upon the individual(s) chosen to carry out those wishes. The
responsibility for implementation almost always falls upon someone who
loves them. And if the request is carried out, that individual will have
to live the rest of their days with the realization they played a key role
in ending a life. While on the other hand, if the responsible agent balks
at carrying out the request (as I did and would do again under the same
circumstances), there is guilt associated with the non-compliance. My friends,
it is a no-win situation! So think long and hard before you decide to ask
someone to shoulder that load. And those who are asked should be made aware
of the potential emotional consequences before they agree.

Then complicating things greatly is the cost of providing the pump,
tubes, formula, and nursing care required to maintain the patient. At the
time of my mother's death over two years ago the high protein formula alone
cost well over a thousand dollars a month, but was completely covered by
Medicare because she was old enough to receive the benefits. Also some
in-home nursing care was also covered due to the fact she had a feeding
tube--adding to the total cost to Medicare. And when we consider the growing
number of Americans who reach retirement age each year, such costs are
rapidly becoming astronomical.

Also families whose insurance will not cover the costs of long-term
care are increasingly facing financial ruin when loved ones require it.
And a terribly sad fact of life is that the routine of tending to the patient's
needs over several years usually causes emotional and physical trauma to
the caregivers--especially if it is done at home. Love always tries
to do what is best, but even a mother's love can be pushed to the point
of exhaustion with such situations. And when death finally comes, there
is guilt added to guilt because you are relieved it is over.

So what am I trying to say? Simply that advances in medical technology
have let the ethical and moral genie out of the bottle. As more and more
people are placed in a position of having to make such life and death decisions,
human nature will inevitably back away from opting for long-term care because
they are slowly becoming aware of what it will cost the caregiver personally
and financially. And in the face of such potential trauma, the decision
to pull the plug and ignore ethical considerations and one's conscience
is made easier. But be advised there is a terrible price that is going
to be paid when this becomes commonplace. Legalized euthanasia will be
the next step because medical costs will wind up being the determining
factor in who lives and who dies.

What then should a believer do if faced with a gut-wrenching dilemma
like that of Terry Schiavo's case? You are told by doctors that the patient
is for all intents and purposes brain dead and the condition is irreversible.
Yet, the body appears healthy and breathing is normal. So do you comply
with their previously stated wishes (if that is the case) and "put them
out of their misery" by withholding food and water? Why not just avoid
wasting time and money and end it by putting a bullet in whatever is left
of their brain? "Oh, but that would be murder!" Yes, it would be, but what
is the essential difference between the bullet and intentionally withholding
food?

"Withhold not good from them to whom it is
due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it" Proverbs 3:27 (KJV).

Perhaps the phrase "to whom it is due" could be
a debatable point where this particular discussion is concerned, but I
am convinced the proper and godly thing to do is to take a deep breath
and
disregard the consequences to self. Keep on feeding the patient and
leave their life in the hands of God--where it belongs. If it is His will
that they die, no amount of intervention on our part can keep them alive.
But conversely, only His divine intervention can prevent us from ending
that life if we are determined to do so.

Will taking that difficult stand cost you personally?
In the short term, more than likely--perhaps to the point of suffering--but
in light of eternity, it is the right thing to do. And then when its all
over--and you know you did all that you could possibly do to care for them--it
is much easier to look at yourself in the mirror each morning. So my advice
is twofold: (1) think about the possibility of assuming the care of someone
else and prepare yourself emotionally because there are no guarantees you
will not face it tomorrow, and (2) do not make a selfish request in
a living will that someone starve you to death. Asking them to keep
you off a ventilator long term when there is no sign of brain activity
is, in my view, altogether different. But intentional starvation by any
other name is still murder. You may wind up being a burden to them, but
they will not have to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and be judged
for contributing to your death.

Just pray for His will be done in all things and
then trust Him through whatever comes to pass.

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Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you
need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly
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you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

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